Columbus strike is over, but that doesn't mean kids are getting what they deserve| Opinion

Dena Sico is the co-chair of the parent organizing committee of the All in For Ohio Kids campaign and a member of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative.

What does it say about our community, indeed our nation, that the 2022 school year was disrupted over things as basic as air conditioning?

The state’s largest school district, Columbus City Schools, recently reached a new collective bargaining agreement with the Columbus Education Association allowing children and teachers to return to school.

While the contract dispute has been resolved, the underlying issue of failure to fully (and fairly) fund public schools remain.

Not just for Ohio, but for the nation.

I offer this observation not from a perch of distance and comfort, but as a mother of a child in Columbus schools. I must also acknowledge that I have the privilege to use my voice in this way while many families in our district do not.

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For years, Ohio’s school funding formula has been unjust and unfair. For instance, “In 1997, in DeRolph v. State, the Ohio Supreme Court declared the State’s school funding system unconstitutional, specifically citing four major flaws in the system, including insufficient state funding for school facilities and a flawed school funding formula. The Court wrote: “'A system without basic instructional materials and supplies can hardly constitute a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state as mandated by our Constitution.'”

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Last year, a coalition of concerned teachers, parents, unions, and grassroots groups joined together to win the Fair School Funding Plan, fixing Ohio’s unconstitutional formula so all of students’ education is funded.

While we finally won a constitutional formula during the 2021 state budget season, it was a temporary fix, meaning we’ll need to fight every two years to fund our schools.

Moving forward, we need to make the Fair School Funding Plan permanent, because no matter where we live or how much money we have, each and every one of our kids should get the education they deserve.

No exceptions.

But Ohio, like many other states, has relied on formulas that do not consistently and properly fund our kids’ future. In systems over-reliant on property taxes, students from lower income communities may lack the amenities and resources available to students from higher income communities. In a properly functioning democracy, students would be able to access quality, free, and accessible education.

Full stop.

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Without fully funding all students across all school districts in Ohio, our kids will be forever vulnerable to teacher shortages, overwhelming classroom sizes, crumbling infrastructure (including dilapidated buildings and no climate conditioning), and an embarrassing lack of basic resources. The Columbus strike – while critical - was a symptom of a much larger problem with which elected officials must still contend.

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One of the reasons educators went on strike was because some buildings in the district lack air conditioning.

What does it say about our community, indeed our nation, that the 2022 school year was disrupted over something as basic as air conditioning? At a time of increased climate emergencies brought on by the climate crisis, our nation saw record heat waves, including here in Central Ohio. Young people should not be asked to go to school in buildings without air conditioning. This is not a matter of luxury, but a matter of safety as heat can create unique medical emergencies like asthma attacks. Further, studies have shown students exposed to high levels of heat in the classroom can impact to their ability to learn.

Certainly, the strike is over, but the broader call for funding Ohio kids persists. Parents, caregivers and community members alike want fully funded, and fairly funded education for all kids— no matter their age, what they look like, or what part of the city they come from.

Policymakers at the state and federal level must want this too.

Unfortunately, gerrymandered legislative districts have made it increasingly difficult for Ohioans to elect who they want to represent their communities. But we need education champions who will not relent until all children have what they need to learn. If Ohio’s government is unable or unwilling to invest in education, the federal government must do so.

And while there is work for policymakers to do, parents and concerned community members must commit to vote in every election cycle. We aren’t just voting for candidates; we’re voting for our kids and their future. They deserve our active and consistent participation.

Dena Sico is the co-chair of the parent organizing committee of the All in For Ohio Kids campaign and a member of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What is the result of Ohio unconstitutional school funding system?